BAPTIST  MISSIONS 

w  ■  !  *  •<  ^ 

IN 

EUROPE 


Rev.  EDMUND  F.  MERRIAM 


BOSTON 

i 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  UNION 

1  895 


CONTENTS. 


The  French 
The  Mission 
The  Mission 
The  German 
The  Mission 
The  Mission 
The  Mission 
The  Mission 
The  Mission 


Mission  . 
in  Spain  . 
in  Greece 
Mission  . 
in  Denmark 
in  Sweden 
in  Norway 
in  Finland 
in  Russia 


PAGE 

4 

io 

13 

15 

20 

22 

27 

28 
28 


COUNT  ZINZENDORF, 

The  Early  Patron  of  the  Moravians . 


BAPTIST  MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE. 


The  position  of  Baptists  in  Europe  is  unique.  Their  pe¬ 
culiar  faith  and  practice  presents  the  strongest  protest  against 
the  formalism  of  the  Protestant  State  churches,  as  well  as  the 
most  effective  opposition  to  the  superstitions  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  hierarchy.  This  distinctive  position  has  a  two-fold 
influence,  as  it  brings  upon  the  Baptists  the  greatest  hatred 
and  most  active  persecution  of  the  priesthood  on  the  one 
hand,  and,  on  the  other,  commends  them  to  the  sympathy  and 
aid  of  the  most  pious  and  devoted  members  who  are  found  in 
the  established  churches.  While  often  compelled  to  endure 
great  persecution  and  distress  from  the  authorities,  who  are 
usually  under  the  control  of  the  priests  of  the  State  churches, 
they  receive  much  encouragement  and  assistance  from  those 
pure  and  noble  spirits  who  love  the  truth,  and  who  are  found 
in  every  communion  and  under  every  name.  Amid  the  fires 
of  persecution  the  Baptists  have  thrived.  From  the  feeble, 
obscure  body  of  a  few  years  ago,  Baptists  have  now  come  in 
all  the  countries  of  Continental  Europe  to  occupy  a  position 
which  is  respectable,  if  not  every  way  influential.  Baptists 
from  America  who  are  visiting  Europe  may  now  find  churches 
of  their  own  denomination  in  nearly  all  the  large  cities  of  the 
Continent ;  and  these  Baptists,  who  are  often  holding  up  the 
standard  of  Gospel  truth  under  circumstances  of  great  diffi¬ 
culty,  are  always  much  cheered  and  encouraged  by  visits  from 
those  who  come  to  them,  representing  the  great  Baptist  body 
of  America.  Nearly  all  these  'Continental  Baptist  churches 
are  aided  by  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  except 
those  in  Italy  which  are  under  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven¬ 
tion  ;  and  the  work  which  they  are  carrying  on  is  varied  in 
conditions,  methods,  and  success,  but  of  deep  interest  to  the 
lovers  of  a  pure  gospel,  and  of  vast  importance  to  the  prog¬ 
ress  of  the  truth  in  all  European  countries. 


4 


THE  FRENCH  MISSION. 

The  Baptist  Mission  in  France  is  a  European  counterpart 
of  the  American  Baptist  Telugu  Mission  in  India.  Its  early 
history  is  one  of  trials  and  persecution  and  slow  growth,  while 
its  later  years  have  witnessed  more  abundant  harvests  and 
more  rapid  progress.  Both  in  direct  and  indirect  lines  there 
is  a  prophecy  of  greater  and  brighter  things  in  the  future. 

As  early  as  1832,  the  minds  of  American  Baptists  were 
turned  towards  France  as  a  field  for  missionary  labor,  and 
Prof.  Irah  Chase,  of  Newton  Theological  Institution,  visited 
France  for  preliminary  investigations.  With  him  was  a  native 
of  France,  Mr.  J.  C.  Rostan.  A  small  place  of  worship  was 
opened  in  Paris  and  services  were  continued  by  Mr.  Rostan 
after  the  return  of  Prof.  Chase  to  America.  Inspired  by  the 
favorable  report  of  Prof.  Chase,  Rev.  Isaac  Willmarth  was  -des¬ 
ignated  by  the  Baptist  Board  to  begin  a  mission  in  France, 
and  he  reached  Paris  in  June,  1834.  May  10,  1835,  the  .first 
Baptist  church  in  Paris  was  organized  with  six  members. 
Several  Christian  churches  were  found,  in  the  northeastern  por¬ 
tion  of  France  which  by  the  study  of  the  New  Testament  had 
come  into  sympathy  with  Baptist  views.  They  received  with 
great  rejoicing  the  tidings  Mr.  Willmarth  brought  them,  of  a 
larger  and  stronger  body  of  Christians  of  like  faith  with  them¬ 
selves,  and  gladly  entered  into  relations  with  them.  In  1835, 
Rev.  Erastus  Willard  and  Rev.  David  N.  Sheldon  joined  the 
mission  and  work  was  continued  in  Paris  and  in  the  northeast, 
Mr.  Sheldon  opening  a  school  for  theological  students  at  Douai. 
Mr.  Rostan  had  died  early  in  the  history  of  the  mission;  Mr. 
Willmarth  was  compelled  to  return  to  the  United  States  by 
the  failure  of  his  health,  and  Mr.  Sheldon  also  soon  left  the 
mission.  In  1839  there  were  seven  Baptist  churches  in 
France,  with  one  hundred  and  forty-two  members,  and  Mr. 
Willard  was  the  only  American  missionary  left  upon  the  field ; 
but  the  work  made  satisfactory  progress  by  the  aid  of  several 
French  brethren  who  had  now  entered  the  ministry. 

But  the  work  was  not  to  continue  without  the  opposition  of 
evil  forces.  Persecutions  arose  against  the  Baptists.  rlhe 
prosperity  of  the  work  and  baptisms  in  various  places  aroused 


5 


the  hostility  of  the  Roman  Catholic  priests,  and  a  law  was 
made  prohibiting  the  meeting  together  of  an  association  of 
more  than  twenty  persons  at  one  time.  Any  person  opening 
his  house  for  public  worship  was  made  liable  to  a  line.  At 
Genlis,  a  chapel  built  by  the  Baptists,  because  of  the  opposition 
of  the  Roman  Catholics,  was  closed,  and  for  eleven  years  the 
Baptists  were  unable  to  occupy  it.  The  columns  of  the  “  Bap¬ 
tist  Missionary  Magazine  ”  were  searched  for  accounts  of  the 
work  in  France,  and  those  who  were  named  were  followed  by 
persecution  and  fines,  so  that  it  became  necessary  to  print  the 
news  from  the  French  mission  with  blanks  for  places  and 
names  that  they  might  not  supply  information  for  the  use  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  priests  and  the  French  police. 

In  1848  the  French  Revolution  brought  nominal  religious 
freedom  for  all.  Worship  was  made  free  in  law,  but  owing  to 
the  ascendancy  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  means  were  still 
found  to  visit  the  Baptists  with  much  persecution.  Two  of  the 
Baptist  preachers,  Mr.  Lepoids,  pastor  of  the  First  Church  in 
Paris  for  twenty  years,  and  Mr.  Foulon  were  arrested  and 
thrown  into  prison  and  afterwards  fined.  By  the  Revolution 
the  chapel  at  Genlis  was  thrown  open  after  eleven  years  of 
seclusion.  Dr.  T.  T.  Devan,  formerly  a  missionary  to  China, 
joined  the  French  mission  in  1848,  and  several  other  French 
brethren  had  now  entered  the  ministry,  including  Rev.  J.  B. 
Cretin,  one  of  the  most  useful  of  those  who  have  been  con¬ 
nected  with  the  mission.  Dr.  Devan  withdrew  from  the 
mission  in  1853  and  Mr.  Willard  in  1856,  and  since  that 
time  the  work  has  been  carried  forward  almost  wholly  by  the 
French  brethren,  with  only  financial  assistance  from  America. 
Yet  the  number  of  churches  multiplied  and  extended  into 
different  portions  of  France,  and  the  membership  increased 
from  281  in  1856  to  599  in  1877. 

During  the  Franco-Prussian  war  nearly  all  the  men  in  the 
churches  entered  the  army,  but  the  Lord  preserved  them  and 
their  families,  so  that  the  Baptist  cause  cannot  be  said  to 
have  suffered  greatly  as  the  result  of  the  war.  The  Baptist 
chapel  in  Rue  de  Lille,  Paris,  was  completed  in  1873,  and  has 
since  been  continuously  occupied  by  the  First  Baptist  Church. 
On  the  whole,  the  progress  of  the  mission  in  France  for  the 
first  half  century  of  its  existence  cannot  be  said  to  have 


6 


been  rapid,  but  much  excellent  and  permanent  work  had 
been  done  by  faithful  and  devoted  men,  and  a  foundation 
laid  for  the  more  rapid  progress  of  later  years. 

In  1887  a  new  era  began  to  dawn  for  the  Baptist  mission 


REV.  RUBEN  SAILLENS. 

in  France.  The  labors  of  the  McAll  mission  had  resulted 
in  a  general  revival  of  the  evangelical  and  evangelistic  spirit 
among  the  churches.  Rev.  Ruben  Saillens,  the  chief  helper 
of  Rev.  R.  W.  McAll  in  his  mission,  was  a  Baptist,  and  aside 


7 


from  his  regular  service  in  connection  with  that  mission, 
was  able  to  devote  some  attention  to  our  denominational 
work.  In  1888  he  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in 
Rue  de  Lille,  still  retaining  his  connection  with  the  McAll 
mission,  and  a  more  encouraging  spirit  began  to  pervade  the 
churches  throughout  the  country.  In  1889  the  McAll  mis¬ 
sion,  although  undenominational  in  all  its  movements,  seeing 
the  necessity  of  churches  to  care  for  the  converts  in  the 
mission  halls,  favored  the  organization  of  churches  of  different 
denominations  among  the  converts  of  the  mission.  The 
Baptists  were  the  first  to  take  advantage  of  this  movement 
and  Mr.  Saiilens  organized  the  second  Baptist  church  in 
Paris  and  began  preaching  in  a  hall  in  Rue  St.  Denis.  On 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  Saiilens,  Rev.  Philemon  Vincent  was 
called  from  St.  Etienne  to  be  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
worshipping  in  the  chapel  in  Rue  de  Lille.  Mission 
halls,  similar  to  those  occupied  by  the  McAll  mission,  were 
also  opened  at  two  places,  so  that  there  were  four  places  of 
Baptist  worship  in  the  French  capital.  A  new  spirit  of 
evangelism  and  progress  began  to  be  manifested  in  the  Bap¬ 
tist  work  throughout  France,  and  there  were  revivals  in  several 
of  the  ten  churches  connected  with  the  Missionary  Union. 
The  work  was  reorganized  in  many  places  and  placed  on  a 
new  and  more  aggressive  basis.  The  increasing  prosperity^ 
and  permanence  of  Baptist  work  in  France  brought  to  light 
the  fact  that  a  large  number  of  the  most  pious  and  evangelical 
of  the  pastors  of  the  Aglise  Libre ,  or  Free  Church,  really  held 
Baptist  views,  although  they  had  never  identified  themselves 
with  the  Baptist  movement,  and  some  of  these  pastors 
united  fully  with  the  Baptist  churches  in  France  and  greatly 
strengthened  the  working  force  of  the  mission,  several  of  them 
being  employed  by  the  Missionary  Union  in  various  places  in 
France. 

The  year  1891  may  be  said  to  mark  an  epoch  in  the  Baptist 
work  in  France.  Mr.  Saiilens  had  now  withdrawn  wholly 
from  the  McAll  mission  in  order  to  devote  himself  entirely 
to  Baptist  work,  and  had  become  general  Secretary  of  the 
French  Baptist  missionary  committee.  The  Baptist  mission 
in  France,  which  had  made  slow  progress  for  so  many  years, 
now  entered  upon  an  era  of  blessing  for  which  there  is  great 


8 


reason  to  praise  God.  The  revival,  begun  in  1 888,  was  in¬ 
creasing  continually.  This  revival  may  be  said  to  have 
resulted  largely  from  the  numerous  Baptist  publications  put 
forth  by  Rev.  J.  B.  Cretin,  who  with  immense  industry  and 
perseverance  continued  to  prepare  and  distribute  Baptist 
tracts  and  publications,  many  of  them  being  published  and 
circulated  at  his  own  expense.  He  was  also  the  means  of 
bringing  into  the  Baptist  ranks  nearly  all  of  the  other  French 


REV.  ALEXANDRE  DEZ, 
TREASURER  OF  THE  FRENCH  MISSION. 


Baptist  pastors  who  had  been  so  useful  in  the  work, — Rev.  J. 
Vincent,  Rev.  Alexandre  Dez,  Rev.  Henri  Andru,  Rev.  Aime 
Cadot,  and  others,  born  Roman  Catholics  and  won  to  God 
and  Baptist  views  through  the  efforts  of  this  devoted  man. 
Another  cause  of  the  revival  was  the  fact  that  some  from  other 
churches  had  been  led  by  their  study  of  the  Scriptures  to 
come  out  boldly  upon  pure  scriptural  ground  in  regard  to  the 
administration  of  the  ordinances  and  other  ecclesiastics* 


9 


questions.  The  pure  evangelical  spirit  of  the  Baptists  also 
led  many  Christians  in  other  churches  to  favor  the  movement, 
even  when  they  did  not  identify  themselves  fully  with  the 
Baptist  churches.  In  fifteen  months  the  two  churches  in  Paris 
nearly  doubled.  The  First  Church  had  four  mission  halls  and 
the  Second  Church  two,  where  meetings  were  carried  on, 
aside  from  the  constant  daily  meetings  in  the  principal  place 
of  worship  in  Rue  St.  Denis.  Work  had  extended  to  other 
places,  and  all  the  churches  in  the  country  were  strengthened 
and  encouraged.  The  church  at  Montbelliard,  near  Switzer¬ 
land,  had  extended  over  the  border;  anew  church  was  formed 
at  Valentigney,  and  the  Baptist  movement  in  French  Switzer¬ 
land  received  its  impulse  from  these  churches  and  is  making 
encouraging  progress.  A  church  was  opened  at  Tramelan, 
and  a  whole  church  in  Neuchatel,  which  had  been  conducted 
several  years  on  evangelical  lines,  came  over  bodily  and 
united  with  the  Baptist  Association. 

The  movement  in  the  northeast  of  France  also  extended 
into  Belgium  and  a  Baptist  church  has  been  organized  at 
Ougre'e.  In  four  years  the  number  of  churches  in  French- 
speaking  Europe  increased  from  nine  to  nineteen.  A  large 
number  of  laborers  joined  the  mission  from  other  bodies, 
calling  for  a  large  increase  of  appropriations  from  the  Mission¬ 
ary  Union.  While  the  work  in  Paris  has  shown  special 
fruitfulness,  yet  the  work  in  other  places  has  realized  scarcely 
less  of  blessing.  The  church  in  Tramelan,  Switzerland, 
reached  two  hundred  members,  and  the  Baptist  sentiment  is 
steadily  gaining  ground.  The  Baptist  churches  in  the  north¬ 
east  of  France,  where  the  mission  received  its  first  encourage¬ 
ment,  have  continually  increased  in  membership;  but  the 
Baptists  in  this  part  of  France  are  almost  entirely  working 
people  and  miners,  and  they  are  subject  to  many  embarrass¬ 
ments  on  account  of  their  relations  to  their  Roman  Catholic 
employers,  yet  they  have  made  wonderful  progress.  The 
great  difficulty  is  to  obtain  money  to  erect  halls  for  the  ac¬ 
commodation  of  those  who  wish  to  hear  the  Gospel.  At  the 
last  reports  the  statistics  of  the  French  Mission  gave  30  # 
preachers,  19  churches,  and  1,900  members. 

France  is  in  a  state  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  ferment,  and 
it  is  the  general  conviction  that  it  is  on  the  eve  of  great 


IO 


religious  changes.  The  present  seems  to  be  the  time  for 
fruitful  and  aggressive  Baptist  labor  in  France.  Faithful, 
earnest,  effective  preaching  of  the  pure  Gospel  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  will  not  be  without  its  fruit.  The  French  people 
are  hesitating  between  the  reaction  of  Roman  Catholicism  and 
the  barrenness  of  infidelity,  and  the  conditions  for  their  re¬ 
ceiving  the  pure  and  holy  truths  of  the  Gospel  are  most 
favorable.  There  is  the  loudest  call  for  the  continuance  of 
the  most  earnest  and  aggressive  work  for  Christ  in  France. 

THE  MISSION  IN  SPAIN. 

Prof.  William  I.  Knapp  was  the  founder  of  Baptist  mission 
work  in  Spain.  He  studied  at  Hamilton  Theological  Institu¬ 
tion,  and  established  himself  in  independent  missionary  work 
in  Madrid  in  1869.  He  afterwards  applied  to  the  Missionary 
Union  for  assistance,  which  was  granted.  In  1870  Rev.  John 
W.  Terry  was  appointed  a  missionary,  but  remained  in  the 
country  only  a  few  months ;  yet  the  mission  received  great 
encouragement  in  its  earlier  years.  Eighteen  were  baptized 
in  1870,  and  Aug.  10  of  that  year  the  first  Baptist  church  in 
Madrid  was  organized  with  thirty-three  members.  Several 
Spanish  evangelists  were  raised  up,  among  them  Rev.  G.  S. 
Benoliel,  who  for  several  years  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church 
in  Madrid  and  whose  preaching  attracted  great  attention. 
A  church  was  formed  in  Valencia  in  1871.  Some  work  was 
also  done  in  Portugal  and  a  number  of  converts  were  baptized 
in  that  country.  Forty-one  were  baptized  in  Linares,  but  the 
promising  work  in  that  field  was  broken  up  by  persecution. 
There  were  also  a  number  received  in  Alicante.  In  1874  there 
were  four  churches  with  four  native  pastors  and  evangelists 
and  a  total  number  in  membership  of  two  hundred  and  forty- 
four.  Mr.  Knapp  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1876  and 
the  work  was  then  continued  by  native  laborers.  Rev.  R.  P. 
Cifre,  who  had  studied  in  Newton,  labored  for  a  few  years  in 
connection  with  the  mission,  but  owing  to  the  defection  of 
,  the  native  laborers  and  other  discouragements,  the  work  which 
at  one  time  had  seemed  so  promising  gradually  dwindled  away, 
and  the  young  and  growing  churches  in  the  places  mentioned 
above  practically  disappeared. 


In  1885  the  Union  had  but  one  missionary  laboring  in 
Spain,  Rev.  Eric  Lund,  of  Sweden,  who  had  begun  work  in  Bar¬ 
celona,  in  the  northeast.  Since  that  time  this  has  been  the 


3r.  Francisco  Bardolbt.  Sr_.  Ricardo  Anglada.  Mr.  Olof  Duren. 


Rev.  Eric  Lund 


BAPTIST  LABORERS  IN  SPAIN. 


Sr.  Gabriel  Anglada 


12 


headquarters  of  our  Baptist  Mission  in  Spain,  and  it  has 
extended  from  this  point  in  various  directions.  Much  work 
was  done  in  publishing  tracts  and  distributing  portions  of 
Scripture,  and  a  few  converts  were  gathered.  In  1886  Mr. 


Rev.  Manuel  C.  Marin. 

Mrs.  Marin.  A  Spanish  Lady. 

(An  American  lady.) 

Lund  was  joined  by  Rev.  Manuel  C.  Marin,  a  native  of  Spain, 
and  a  graduate  of  Colby  University  and  Newton  Theological 
Institution.  Within  recent  years  these  brethren  have  adopted 
new  features  of  evangelistic  work,  by  which  series  of  meetings 
are  held  in  different  villages,  and  the  few  converts  gathered 
are  organized  into  small,  independent  churches,  and  one  of 


13 


the  members  in  each  placed  over  them  as  a  leader.  The  aim 
of  Mr.  Lund  is  to  follow  the  Pauline  methods,  in  preaching  the 
Gospel  where  Christ  is  not  already  named.  These  simple 
methods  have  been  largely  successful.  Great  crowds  are 
gathered  to  the  meetings,  and  in  almost  every  place  where 
they  are  held  a  few  converts  are  received.  These  small, 
detached  bodies  of  Christians  have  shown  remarkable  vitality 
and  stability  in  a  small  way.  A  little  paper  is  published  by 
the  mission,  called  the  Eco ,  and  at  the  last  reports  there  were 
in  Spain,  besides  Rev.  Eric  Lund  and  Rev.  M.  C.  Marin,  six 
native  preachers  supported  by  the  Missionary  Union,  and  ten 
other  brethren  who  preach  occasionally.  Eighteen  were  . 
baptized  in  1893,  and  there  are  now  six  small  churches  with 
from  five  to  twenty  members,  the  total  number  being  nearly 
ninety. 

Protestant  missionary  work  in  Spain  has  to  encounter  many 
and  great  obstacles  in  the  bigotry  of  the  priests  and  the 
ignorance  and  indifference  of  the  people ;  but  with  the  new 
development  of  work  on  evangelistic  lines  there  appears  to  be 
encouragement  to  continue  to  labor  for  this  people,  the  work 
of  the  last  few  years  having  given  continually  growing  encour¬ 
agement.  The  mission  is  now  wholly  confined  to  the  north¬ 
eastern  part  of  Spain,  in  the  general  vicinity  of  Barcelona. 

THE  MISSION  IN  GREECE. 

The  American  Baptist  Mission  in  Greece  sprang  from  the 
same  impulse  as  that  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  the 
Telugu  mission  in  India.  In  1835,  the  Triennial  Convention, 
finding  itself  with  a  surplus  in  the  treasury,  at  the  meeting  in 
Richmond  authorized  the  Board  to  establish  missions  in  all 
fields  presenting  a  favorable  opening.  A  mission  was  accord¬ 
ingly  begun  in  Greece.  Rev.  Horace  T.  Love  and  Cephas 
Pasco  were  ordained  in  Providence  Sept.  8,  1836,  and  arrived 
at  Patras  Dec.  9,  1836.  The  government  granted  them  per¬ 
mission  to  circulate  the  Bible  and  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
they  were  soon  able  to  open  a  day  school  and  a  Sunday  school. 
In  1839  Mr.  Pasco  was  obliged  to  leave  the  mission  and  Miss 
Harriet  E.  Dickson  was  appointed.  This  year  also  witnessed 
the  beginning  of  Sunday  services  in  Greek,  conducted  by  Mr. 


H 

Love.  In  1840  the  mission  was  removed  to  Corfu,  and  August 
12,  of  that  year,  the  first  convert,  who  very  appropriately  bore 
the  name  of  “  Apostolos,”  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Love  and  em¬ 
ployed  to  assist  him  in  the  missionary  work.  Rev.  R.  F.  Buel 
and  wife  joined  the  mission  in  1841,  and  in  1842  Mr.  Love 
was  compelled  to  return  to  the  LTnited  States.  Before  his  de¬ 
parture  two  more  were  baptized.  In  February,  1844,  the  mis¬ 
sion  received  a  strong  reinforcement  by  the  arrival  of  Rev. 
Albert  N.  Arnold  and  his  wife  and  Miss  S.  E.  Waldo  at  Corfu. 
Mr.  Buel  removed  to  Piraeus,  but  the  mission  at  that  place 
was  brought  to  an  end  in  1847  by  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Buel  and  his 
imprisonment.  There  were  only  five  church  members  con¬ 
nected  with  the  mission  at  that  time,  and  after  fourteen  years 
of  labor  so  little  fruit  had  been  the  result  that  it  was  a  question 
whether  it  would  be  wise  to  continue  it.  Yet  the  work  was 
still  maintained  in  the  face  of  much  opposition  by  the  Greeks, 
one  native  assistant  being  compelled  to  leave  his  native  land 
to  escape  the  fury  of  his  enemies.  In  1852  the  church  had 
increased  to  fifteen  members,  but  both  Mr.  Arnold  and  Mr. 
Buel  returned  to  the  LTnited  States  in  1855.  Mr.  Demetrius 
Z.  Sakellarios,  the  only  assistant  in  the  mission,  continued  his 
labors  until  April  1,  1856,  when  the  work  in  Greece  was  sus¬ 
pended  for  fifteen  years. 

In  1871  Rev.  George  W.  Gardner,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  D.  W. 
Faunce,  D.  D.,  visited  Athens  and  recommended  resuming  mis¬ 
sionary  work  in  Greece  Mr.  Sakellarios,  who  during  the  in¬ 
terval  had  visited  America  and  engaged  in  study  at  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution,  was  appointed  a  missionary  by  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Missionary  Union-.  He  had 
married  a  Miss  Edmands,  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  they  es¬ 
tablished  themselves  in  Athens.  In  the  succeeding  years  con¬ 
siderable  interest  was  shown  in  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  and 
encouragement  was  received  from  intelligent  residents  of  the 
city.  The  professors  and  students  in  the  University  in  Athens 
frequently  attended  the  services,  but  few  left  the  state  church 
in  order  to  identify  themselves  with  the  Baptist  Mission. 
There  were  some  conversions,  and  a  small  church  was  gathered 
in  Athens  by  Mr.  Sakellarios,  whose  support  was  continued  by 
the  Missionary  Union.  But  the  definite  results  of  his  labors 
seemed  to  be  so  small  that,  while  having  high  esteem  for  his 


1 5 


faithful  and  laborious  services,  it  seemed  wise  to  the  Executive 
Committee,  in  1886,  to  recommend  a  discontinuance  of  the 
mission  in  Greece.  Mr.  Sakellarios  continued  his  residence  in 
Athens,  and  maintains  services  in  his  own  house,  but  there 
appears  to  be  nothing  in  the  condition  of  the  people  or  the 
mission  to  encourage  an  expectation  that  the  Greeks  are  pre¬ 
pared  to  leave  their  national  faith  for  a  more  evangelical  body 
and  belief.  The  Greeks  are,  many  of  them,  of  high  intelligence 
and  devoted  to  learning,  but  pure  spiritual  religion  apparently 
has  but  little  attraction  for  them. 


THE  GERMAN  MISSION. 

Germany  has  always  been  a  fountain-head  of  religious 
reform.  Even  through  the  dark  ages  there  were  men  in  small 
communities,  in  various  parts  of  the  German  states  of  Central 
Europe,  who  stood  far  above  the  surrounding  ignorance,  and 
who  maintained  a  general  adherence  to  the  truth.  The 
ideality  and  independence  of  the  German  character  have  always 
supplied  sources  of  light  from  which  have  streamed  out  the 
rays  which  brightened  the  darkness  of  the  surrounding  igno¬ 
rance  and  superstition.  The  Reformation  served  to  bring  to 
light  scattered  religious  communities,  which  naturally  were  in 
great  sympathy  with  the  new  movement  begun  by  Luther. 
But  they  surpassed  him  in  the  freedom  of  their  thought  and 
in  their  advancement  toward  the  pure  and  simple  doctrines  of 
the  Scriptures.  From  that  time  the  modern  history  of  the 
Baptists  in  Germany  might  be  said  to  begin ;  and  yet  these 
Baptists  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  while  doing 
much  to  prepare  the  minds  of  the  people,  are  not  really  the 
lineal  ancestors  of  the  German  Baptist  churches  of  to-day. 
The  Baptist  churches  of  all  Central,  Eastern,  and  Northern 
Europe,  at  the  present  time,  may  be  traced  back  more  or  less 
directly  to  a  little  band  of  seven,  who  were  baptized  at  Ham¬ 
burg  in  the  night,  by  Rev.  Barnas  Sears,  D.  D.,  of  Boston, 
April  12,  1834.  The  leader  of  this  little  band  was  Johann  G. 
Oncken,  who  became  the  apostle  of  the  modern  Baptist  move¬ 
ment  in  Germany ;  and  by  his  labors  and  those  of  others  who 
joined  him,  this  movement  has  extended  throughout  the  whole 


i6 


of  the  German  Empire,  as  well  as  to  all  parts  of  Central  Europe 
where  German  people  are  found. 

In  1836  fourteen  were  baptized,  one  of  whom  was  Rev. 
Julius  Kobner,  a  native  of  Denmark,  a  man  of  education  and 


REV.  JOHANN  G.  ONCKEN. 


high  ability  who  became  the  founder  of  Baptist  work  in  Den¬ 
mark,  and  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  church  in  Copen¬ 
hagen.  In  the  spring  of  1837,  Mr.  Oncken  visited  Berlin, 
and  several  were  baptized,  among  whom  was  Rev.  Georg  W. 


i7 


Lehmann,  who  afterwards  was  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  in  Berlin  for  more  than  forty  years.  The  success  of 
the  Baptist  movement  early  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
authorities  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  the  public  officials,  and 
persecutions  began.  Mr.  Oncken  was  imprisoned,  and  suffered 
the  loss  of  his  worldly  goods.  Remonstrances  were  made  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States  and  others,  and  legal  per¬ 
secution  ceased.  But  the  same  spirit  continued  among  many 
of  the  clergy  of  the  state  church,  and  numerous  petty  persecu¬ 
tions  have  been  visited  on  the  Baptists  of  Germany  even  to 
the  present  time. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  German  Baptist  Conference  was 
held  in  Hamburg  in  January,  1849,  representing  about  thirty 
churches  and  2,800  members.  Within  a  few  years  the  Baptist 
movement  had  extended  to  Russia,  Denmark,  Switzerland, 
Lithuania,  Silesia,  and  Poland,  and  the  work  had  become  so 
strong  that  the  question  was  raised  whether  American  Baptists 
might  not  now  withdraw  their  contributions,  and  leave  the 
Baptists  of  Central  Europe  to  self-support.  But  it  was  resolved 
rather  to  continue  the  work  with  greater  force.  Mr.  Lehmann 
collected  five  thousand  dollars  in  England,  which,  with  the 
local  collections,  built  twenty-one  chapels  where  they  were 
greatly  needed.  Twelve  young  men  who  had  been  instructed 
at  Hamburg  for  seven  months  were  ordained  on  one  day, 
Sept.  12,  1859.  In  1865  a  colony  of  German  Baptists  was 
sent  out  to  South  Africa,  which  now  has  about  800  members 
in  eleven  churches ;  and  the  same  year  Baptists  exiled  from 
Russia  settled  in  Turkey.  Baptist  work  extended  to  Bulgaria 
in  1866,  and  to  Holland  in  1869.  In  1875,  the  government 
of  Prussia  recognized  the  existence  of  Baptist  churches,  and 
passed  an  act  for  their  incorporation,  and  the  Baptist  move¬ 
ment  has  extended  throughout  all  the  countries  of  Central 
Europe,  and  is  becoming  year  by  year  more  important,  influen¬ 
tial,  and  successful. 

The  headquarters  of  the  movement  have  continued  to  be  at 
Hamburg,  where  is  the  publishing  house,  now  under  the  charge 
of  Dr.  Phillip  Bickel,  where  there  is  also  a  theological  seminary 
in  which  pastors  are  trained  for  all  parts  of  this  vast  field, 
under  the  care  of  Rev.  Joseph  Lehmann  and  Rev.  j.  G.  Fetzer. 
There  are  large  churches  in  Berlin,  and  in  many  other  of  the 


1 8 


leading  cities  of  the  German  states.  In  the  German  Empire, 
the  work  is  now  carried  on  with  great  freedom,  and  also  in 
Hungary,  Bulgaria,  Switzerland,  and  Holland ;  but  in  Austria 
there  are  still  great  obstacles  in  the  way.  As  the  law  permits 
no  large  religious  assemblies  (aside  from  the  congregations  of 
the  established  churches),  the  only  religious  worship  which  is 
possible  to  the  Baptists  in  Austria  is  as  they  may  assemble  in 
family  worship,  inviting  a  few  friends;  yet  in  spite  of  this 
obstacle,  the  work  has  largely  extended  and  is  growing.  Like 
all  the  Baptist  churches  of  the  Continent  of  Europe,  the 
German  Baptist  churches  suffer  severely  by  the  emigration  of 
the  brightest  and  strongest  of  their  young  men  to  the  United 
States,  yet  they  show  a  large  increase  from  year  to  year.  The 
members  of  these  churches  are  almost  entirely  from  the  poorer 
classes  of  the  people,  but  there  is  prevalent  among  them  a 
great  spirit  of  missionary  activity.  Their  members  are  organ¬ 
ized  for  mission  work  to  a  much  larger  extent  than  prevails  in 
the  churches  of  this  country.  They  have  Young  Men’s  and 
Young  Women’s  Associations,  which  are  formed,  not  simply  for 
the  purpose  of  social  and  religious  life,  but  to  carry  on  active 
work  in  the  communities  in  which  they  live.  These  young 
men  and  women  are  trained  to  be  active  in  tract  distribution, 
and  in  Bible  colportage.  Seamen’s  Bethels  and  rest-houses 
are  opened  in  many  places,  and  the  lay  members  of  the 
churches  do  a  great  amount  of  personal  work  and  house-to- 
house  visitation.  Sunday  schools  are  also  maintained  in  all 
churches,  and  more  than  twenty  thousand  scholars  are  found 
in  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  larger  Union. 

As  the  membership  of  the  German  Baptist  churches  is 
largely  from  the  poor,  they  are  not  able  to  do  all  that  should 
be  done  in  maintaining  their  feebler  churches,  and  in  extend¬ 
ing  the  movement  to  other  needy  portions  of  the  German 
states.  Some  help  is  afforded  to  them  from  England  through 
a  committee,  of  which  William  Sears  Oncken,  a  son  of  the 
founder  of  the  mission,  is  a  leading  member.  The  chief  out¬ 
side  assistance  which  the  German  Baptists  receive,  however, 
comes  from  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union,  which 
appropriates  nearly  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year  to  assist  them 
in  their  work.  This  is  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  committee 
which  has  its  headquarters  at  Hamburg,  and  by  this  committee 


Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Hamburg,  Germany 


20 


is  distributed  in  the  wisest  and  most  economical  way  to  pro¬ 
mote  the  efficiency  of  the  work.  In  all  parts  of  Central 
Europe,  the  churches  generally  support  their  pastors,  and  the 
funds  are  used  for  the  support  of  the  evangelists  and  in  Bible 
distribution,  and  also  in  assisting  in  the  support  of  pastors  and 
helpers  in  some  of  the  more  needy  territories.  A  visit  to  any 
German  Baptist  church  in  the  United  States  would  readily 
illustrate  the  efficiency  of  the  missionary  work  carried  on 
among  the  Baptists  in  Germany.  Not  only  the  German 
Empire  and  all  of  Central  Europe  is  benefited  by  this  work, 
but  in  this  country  we  are  receiving  much  blessing  by  the 
presence  of  so  many  strong  and  helpful  members  in  our 
German  Baptist  chuiches  who  have  been  converted  in  the 
mother  country,  and  have  come  here  and  identified  themselves 
with  our  denominational  interests.  This  is  a  work  in  which  a 
small  amount  of  money  produces  large  results,  and  it  com¬ 
mends  itself  on  every  side  to  the  support  of  the  Baptists  of 
America. 

The  statistics  of  the  German  Baptists  in  1894  were,  149 
churches,  with  29,422  members,  300  preachers,  and  21,524 
scholars  in  Sunday  schools. 

THE  MISSION  IN  DENMARK. 

Baptist  mission  work  in  Denmark  is  an  outgrowth  of  that 
which  began  at  Hamburg,  in  Germany,  and  was  for  many  years 
identified  with  the  German  mission.  One  of  the  earliest 
converts  of  the  German  mission  was  Rev.  Julius  Kobner,  a 
native  of  Copenhagen.  After  his  baptism  he  visited  Denmark 
and  Holstein,  and  labored  and  preached  the  Gospel  among 
the  people  with  such  success  that  a  Baptist  church  was 
organized  in  Copenhagen  in  1839.  From  this  place  the  work 
spread  into  other  towns  and  cities  of  Denmark.  Much  per¬ 
secution  was  encountered,  but  in  1842  there  were  179  Baptists 
in  Denmark,  of  whom  119  were  in  Copenhagen,  the  capital. 
The  work  continued  with  increasing  prosperity,  but  was  still 
identified,  in  all  the  reports  of  the  Union,  with  the  work  in 
Germany,  until  1888,  when  at  the  request  of  the  brethren  in 
that  country,  the  appropriations  of  the  Union  were  separated 
from  those  of  the  German  mission,  and  since  that  time  the 


21 


mission  in  Denmark  has  been  continued  under  the  direction 
of  a  committee  of  Baptist  brethren  in  that  country.  There 
were  at  that  time  about  2,300  Baptists  in  Denmark.  The 
work  has  gone  on  with  increasing  success.  In  1888  the 
number  of  baptisms  amounted  to  more  than  ten  per  cent  of 
the  membership.  1889  was  the  best  year  of  the  mission,  249 
being  baptized.  The  years  since  have  been  fruitful,  and  the 


REV.  JULIUS  KOEBNER. 

church  in  Copenhagen  has  between  six  and  seven  hundred 
members.  In  1894  there  were  reported  in  Denmark  70 
preachers,  25  churches,  3,165  members,  of  whom  239  were 
baptized  in  1893.  There  were  also  3,880  scholars  in  the 
Sunday  schools,  and  the  contributions  of  the  Baptists  in  Den¬ 
mark  amounted  to  #11,847.50.  The  Denmark  mission  is 
enjoying  continually  increasing  prosperity,  and  the  Danish 
Baptists  are  among  the  most  aggressive,  intelligent,  and  earnest 
of  those  of  the  same  faith  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 


22 


THE  MISSION  IN  SWEDEN. 

The  history  of  Protestantism  in  Sweden  is  a  glorious  record. 
The  Swedes  have  always  devoted  themselves  to  their  religion 
with  the  same  ardor  and  impetuosity  which  has  characterized 
them  in  war  and  in  civil  affairs,  and  the  type  of  religion  which 
has  been  developed  in  that  country  has  partaken  of  the  noble, 
free,  and  manly  traits  which  are  such  prominent  features  of  the 
Scandinavian  character.  When  Christianity  was  introduced 
into  Sweden,  the  people  gave  themselves  to  the  new  religion 
with  the  large  and  generous  freedom  that  they  had  shown  in 
the  worship  of  Thor  and  Odin  and  the  other  deities  of  their 
ancient  Valhalla.  The  same  magnanimity  of  spirit  has  char¬ 
acterized  the  Swedes  in  all  their  relations  to  religion.  In 
1593,  the  Lutheran  church  became  the  established  church  of 
Sweden,  and  thus  early  did  the  Swedes  as  a  nation  enioll 
themselves  on  the  side  of  a  free  people  and  a  pure  gospel. 
The  fact  that  the  latter  years  of  the  Lutheran  church  have 
been  marked  by  formalism  and  sometimes  by  persecution 
does  not  detract  from  the  grandeur  of  the  devotion  which  was 
shown  by  the  Swedish  nation  in  giving  itself  so  unreservedly 
to  the  new  and  rising  cause  of  Protestantism. 

The  same  freedom  and  largeness  of  nature  which  was  shown 
in  the  espousal  of  the  Protestant  cause  can  be  traced  in  the 
rise  of  the  dissenting  movement  in  Sweden.  It  came  in  as  a 
protest  against  the  coldness  and  formalism  of  the  established 
church ;  and  to  the  credit  of  the  Swedish  people,  be  it  said, 
that  the  dissenters  have  never  been  subjected  to  those  severe 
persecutions  which  have  followed  the  seekers  after  truth  in  the 
more  southern  nations  of  Europe.  Owing  to  the  peculiar 
character  of  the  laws  regarding  religion  in  Sweden,  the  dis¬ 
senters  of  all  classes  are  still  nominally  members  of  the  estab¬ 
lished  church ;  and  while  they  have  suffered  many  vexatious 
minor  persecutions  in  different  localities,  yet,  as  a  whole,  at  the 
present  time  they  are  allowed  to  carry  on  their  worship  and 
work  without  serious  obstruction  on  the  part  of  the  state 
officials  or  the  authorities  of  the  state  church.  The  dissenters, 
in  Sweden,  are  chiefly  divided  among  three  bodies,  —  the 
Baptist,  the  Free  Church,  and  the  Methodist.  Of  these,  the 


2  3 


Baptists  are  by  far  the  most  numerous,  and  probably  outnum¬ 
ber  all  the  rest  of  the  dissenting  people  in  Sweden  together. 

Baptist  work  in  Sweden  is  the  offspring  of  the  Baptist 
movement  in  Germany,  which  was  started  by  the  honored 
J.  G.  Oncken  in  Hamburg.  The  chief  agent  in  the  founding  of 
the  Baptist  mission  in  Sweden  was  Rev.  Andreas  Wiberg  who 
was  brought  to  Baptist  views  by  the  influence  of  Mr.  Oncken 
and  his  companion,  Mr.  Kobner ;  but  the  real  origin  of  the 
Baptist  mission  in  Sweden  was  at  the  Mariners’  Church  in  New 
York  City,  where  a  young  Swedish  sailor,  Mr.  G.  W.  Shroeder, 
was  converted.  With  a  Mr.  F.  O.  Nilsson,  another  Swedish 
sailor,  also  converted  in  New  York  and  baptized  by  Mr.  Oncken 
in  Hamburg,  in  1847,  he  began  Baptist  work  in  Sweden.  The 
appearance  of  Mr.  Shroeder  on  the  platform,  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Union  at  Philadelphia,  in 
1892,  was  a  most  interesting  feature.  The  First  Baptist  Church 
in  Sweden  was  organized  Sept.  21,  1848.  The  early  Bap¬ 
tist  laborers  suffered  considerable  persecution ;  Mr.  Nilsson, 
having  been  ordained  in  Hamburg  in  1849,  was  banished  from 
Sweden  in  1851  and  came  to  the  United  States ;  but  in  1851 
there  was  a  church  of  fifty-eight  members  in  Sweden,  and  in 
1852  that  one  church  had  become  four. 

The  prosperous  beginning  of  the  Baptist  Mission  was  a 
promise  and  pledge  of  the  great  success  with  which  it  has  been 
carried  forward  until  the  present  time.  Large  annual  acces¬ 
sions  have  marked  its  history,  and  a  steady  and  rapid  growth 
in  all  branches.  In  common  with  the  other  Baptist  churches 
in  various  countries  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  the  churches 
in  Sweden  have  suffered  much  from  the  loss  of  many  of  their 
best  and  most  valued  members  by  emigration ;  but  the  places 
made  vacant  have  been  continually  replaced  by  others,  and 
the  mission  has  gone  forward  in  a  career  of  uninterrupted 
prosperity.  In  1855,  Mr.  Wiberg  was  appointed  to  labor  in 
Sweden  by  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  and  the 
work  was  continued  in  the  name  of  that  society  until  1865, 
when  it  was  transferred  to  the  American  Baptist  Missionary 
Union. 

One  of  the  most  influential  factors  in  the  strong  and  vigor¬ 
ous  work  of  Baptists  m  Sweden  has  been  the  Bethel  Theolog¬ 
ical  Seminary  at  Stockholm,  opened  Oct.  1,  1866,  from  which 


24 


have  gone  forth  young  preachers  who  have  carried  the  pure 
gospel  of  the  New  destament  to  all  parts  of  the  kingdom. 
Rev.  Knut  O.  Broady  has  been  president  from  the  first.  The 
seminary  has  always  been  characterized  by  a  spirit  of  most 
ardent  and  active  evangelism  and  has  been  the  pride  and  joy 
of  the  Swedish  Baptist  churches.  A  building  has  been  pro¬ 
vided,  and  through  the  efforts  of  a  generous  Swedish  Baptist 


BETHEL  SEMINARY,  STOCKHOLM. 

in  Chicago,  supplemented  by  the  noble  and  self-sacrificing 
Baptists  m  Sweden,  it  will  soon  have  a  substantial  and  neces¬ 
sary  endowment  which  will  enable  it  to  carry  forward  its  grand 
work  yet  more  effectively  for  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

Baptist  work  in  Sweden  has  received  much  aid  from  religious 
literature.  At  a  time  when  public  preaching  was  prohibited, 
Baptist  tracts  and  papers  could  be  circulated  freely  throughout 
the  kingdom.  The  early  connection  of  the  mission  with  the 


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Rev.  j.  O.  HamMerberG.  Rev.  A.  E.  BackmaN.  Rev.  Orlop  Larsen.  Rev.  J.  A.  YadeR. 


26 


Publication  Society  fostered  this  form  of  work,  Mr.  Wiberg 
started  a  paper  called  the  Evangelist ,  in  1856.  In  this 
same  year  also  the  Missionary  Union  of  the  Baptists  in  Swe¬ 
den  was  formed.  It  carries  on  both  home  and  foreign  mis¬ 
sions.  The  rapid  progress  of  the  work  in  Sweden  has  largely 
been  under  the  direction  of  this  Union,  and  missionaries  are 
supported  by  it  in  China  and  on  the  Congo  in  Africa. 


BAPTIST  CHAPEL  AT  NORKOPINO,  SWEDEN. 


The  Baptists  in  America  have  greatly  profited  from  the 
mission  in  Sweden  by  the  reception  of  large  numbers  of 
active  and  useful  laborers  who  have  come  to  our  shores. 
These  are  found  not  only  in  the  strong  and  vigorous  Baptist 
churches  scattered  all  over  our  country,  but  in  the  large  num¬ 
ber  of  faithful  and  devoted  members  who  have  united  with 
Baptist  churches  in  multitudes  of  places  where  separate 


27 


churches  for  Swedish  people  do  not  exist.  The  connection 
between  the  Swedish  Baptists  in  America  and  in  Sweden  is 
very  close  and  tender.  Those  in  this  country  contribute 
largely  and  generously  for  the  support  of  Baptist  missions  in 
Sweden  as  well  as  all  missionary  work  in  our  Baptist  body. 
The  same  noble  spirit  which  led  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  his 
army  to  give  themselves  for  the  salvation  of  Protestantism  in 
Europe  is  still  strong  in  the  Swedes,  for  the  progress  of  truth 
and  for  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ  throughout 
the  world.  Although  they  have  grown  to  a  large  body,  yet 
the  Baptists  in  Sweden  still  need  the  aid  of  their  brethren  in 
this  country  in  order  to  carry  on  their  work  in  the  most 
effective  manner.  The  losses  through  emigration  keep  them 
from  acquiring  the  strength  which  would  be  the  natural  reward 
of  their  earnest  labors.  The  American  Baptist  Missionary 
Union  contributes  about  $8,500  annually  to  assist  the  Baptist 
Mission  in  Sweden,  and  the  claim  of  this  mission  upon  the 
Scandinavian  Baptists  of  this  country,  as  well  as  upon  Baptists 
as  a  whole,  is  strong,  and  the  small  amount  of  money  which  is 
invested  produces  large  results  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
triumph  of  His  Kingdom. 


THE  MISSION  IN  NORWAY. 

Baptist  work  in  Norway  is  also  an  offshoot  of  the  German 
Baptists,  who  had  a  colporter  laboring  in  that  country  in  1842. 
It  was  afterward  for  some  time  carried  on  with  the  assistance 
of  the  English  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  but  owing  to  the 
pressure  of  their  work  among  the  heathen,  the  English 
Baptists  withdrew  from  Norway  several  years  ago.  In  1868 
there  were  two  hundred  members  in  the  few  Baptist  churches, 
one  of  which  was  at  Tromsoe  north  of  the  Arctic  Circle. 
Little  outside  assistance  was  received  by  the  Baptists  in  Nor¬ 
way  after  the  withdrawal  of  English  Baptist  funds,  until  in 
1890,  when  an  application  was  made  for  assistance  to  the 
American  Baptist  Missionary  Union.  The  request  of  the 
Baptist  brethren  in  Norway  was  received  with  favor  and  a 
committee  was  organized,  consisting  of  Baptists  in  Norway  and 
in  this  country,  to  assist  the  Norwegians  in  carrying  on  work 


28 


in  their  country.  The  appropriations  are  not  large,  but  the 
small  assistance  which  is  afforded  enables  the  committee  to 
maintain  a  considerable  number  of  Baptist  laborers  among  the 
weak  churches  in  Norway.  The  work  in  Christiania  under 
Rev.  E.  S.  Sundt  has  been  especially  promising,  and  active 
labors  are  maintained  all  through  Norway  from  the  north  to 
the  south.  In  1894  the  statistics  of  the  Baptist  work  were  16 
preachers  and  pastors,  27  churches,  with  1,961  members,  of 
whom  280  were  baptized  in  1893. 

THE  MISSION  IN  FINLAND. 

Baptist  work  in  Finland  was  a  direct  offshoot  of  that  in 
Sweden,  Rev.  Eric  Jansson,  the  founder  of  Baptist  work  in 
Finland,  having  first  labored  in  connection  with  the  Swedish 
Baptist  mission.  The  first  to  be  baptized  in  Finland  were  a 
brother  and  sister  named  Heikel,  whose  father  was  professor 
in  the  University  of  Abo.  They  received  the  ordinance  July  14, 
1868,  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  Sea.  The  mission  was  for 
several  years  reported  in  connection  with  the  Swedish  mission, 
but  with  its  growing  importance  it  has  been  given  a  separate 
place  in  the  reports  and  appropriations  of  the  Union.  The 
work  in  this  extreme  northern  border  appears  to  be  one  of 
much  promise.  In  1892  the  Baptists  of  Finland  obtained 
lawful  rights  to  exist  as  a  Protestant  community.  This  has 
greatly  encouraged  them  and  enabled  them  to  extend  their 
work.  A  school  for  the  training  of  preachers  has  been  started, 
a  paper  is  published,  and  the  Finnish  Baptists  are  greatly 
in  earnest  in  their  work.  The  population  of  Finland  num¬ 
bers  2,41 2, T35,  and  the  people  have  many  admirable  traits. 
The  reports  of  the  mission  for  1893  give  10  preachers,  21 
churches,  and  1,329  members,  of  whom  T52  were  baptized 
during  that  year. 

THE  MISSION  IN  RUSSIA. 

Baptist  work  in  Russia,  like  that  in  Sweden  and  Denmark, 
and  all  the  countries  of  Central  Europe,  is  an  outgrowth  of 
the  Baptist  movement,  which  began  with  the  baptism  of  J.  G. 
Oncken  and  six  others  at  Hamburg,  April  22,  1834.  In  1851, 


29 


some  efforts  by  German  Baptists  were  made  on  behalf  of  their 
fellow  countrymen  who  had  settled  in  the  south  of  Russia, 
but  such  were  the  difficulties  of  the  work,  that  the  first  Baptist 
house  of  worship  in  Russia  was  not  built  until  1872.  The 
work,  however,  was  entirely  identified  with  the  German  mission 
in  the  reports  to  the  Union,  until  1888,  when,  owing  to  the 
regulations  of  the  Russian  government,  forbidding  religious 
work  to  be  carried  on  in  that  country  in  the  name  of  foreign 
organizations,  the  Baptists  in  Russia  withdrew  from  the  Ger¬ 
man  Baptist  Union,  and  formed  a  “  Bund  ”  of  their  own,  and 
the  appropriations  of  the  Union  for  mission  work  in  Russia, 
have  since  been  separated  from  those  of  the  German  mission. 
At  that  time,  there  were  in  Russia  34  churches,  with  44  pas¬ 
tors  and  evangelists,  12,371  church  members,  and  82  Sunday 
schools;  850 were  baptized  in  1887. 

One  of  the  most  painful  features,  in  connection  with  Bap¬ 
tist  work  in  Russia,  has  been  the  severe  persecutions  which 
the  people  of  that  name  have  been  compelled  to  endure 
in  common  with  all  dissenters  from  the  Greek  Catholic 
church.  These  persecutions  proceed  chiefly  from  the  priests 
of  the  Greek  church,  who,  since  that  is  the  established  or 
national  church,  make  use  of  the  officers  of  the  government 
to  carry  out  their  bigoted  and  cruel  plans  for  the  suppression 
of  all  religious  worship  and  opinions  not  in  accordance  with 
the  views  of  their  church.  Exile  and  imprisonment  are  fre¬ 
quently  resorted  to.  One  of  the  first  Baptists  to  suffer  from 
this  persecution  was  Rev.  Mr.  Pawloff,  who  was  banished  from 
his  home  in  Wladikawkas  to  Orenburg  in  Siberia.  During  the 
last  few  years,  many  others  have  been  banished.  Whole 
churches  have  been  arrested,  clad  in  prison  garments,  and 
amid  great  suffering  compelled  to  travel  as  prisoners  with 
loathsome  and  evil  companions  into  the  Transcaucasian  country 
or  into  Siberia.  Many  Baptists  are  now  found  in  this  sterile 
and  desolate  land.  Some  have  even  been  driven  to  its  far 
borders ;  and  a  few  of  the  brethren  of  our  own  faith  are  at 
this  very  time  dragging  out  a  miserable  existence  amid  the 
degraded  and  ignorant  savages '  of  northern  Siberia.  In  one 
instance,  an  entire  Baptist  church  in  the  Baltic  provinces 
decided  to  emigrate  to  South  America.  All  sold  their  property 
and  closed  up  their  business  affairs,  and  the  richer  helping  the 


3° 


poorer,  they  left  their  dearly  loved  homes  to  find  a  place  in  a 
more  hospitable  land  where  they  could  worship  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences.  The  scenes  of  their 
departure  from  their  home  were  exceedingly  affecting,  and  as 
they  sailed  away  they  sang  hymns  to  God,  while  the  tears 
were  streaming  down  their  faces.  They  are  now  in  South 
America  and  have  formed  two  churches,  which  have  received 
much  countenance  and  help  from  the  missionaries  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Board  in  Brazil. 

One  of  the  severest  trials  which  the  Baptists  of  Russia  are 
compelled  to  suffer  is  the  separation  from  their  children.  By 
a  law  made  a  few  years  ago  the  officials  and  priests  are  per¬ 
mitted  to  take  from  their  parents  children  of  dissenting  families 
who  refuse  to  have  them  baptized  into  the  state  church.  The 
children  thus  torn  away  from  their  parents  are  placed  with 
Greek  Catholic  families  or  in  nunneries,  to  be  brought  up  in 
that  faith.  No  words  can  express  the  grief  and  suffering  which 
have  thus  been  entailed  upon  the  Baptists  of  Russia.  Multi¬ 
tudes  of  families  have  been  rent  asunder  and  entirely  broken 
up,  the  children  placed  in  the  care  of  those  committed  to  the 
national  church,  and  oftentimes  the  parents  exiled  to  Siberia 
or  banished  to  the  central  states  of  Europe.  The  condition  of 
the  Baptists  in  Russia  calls  for  the  deepest  sympathy  of  all  who 
are  interested  in  the  pure  truths  otf  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

Notwithstanding  these  severe  persecutions  the  work  has  con¬ 
tinued  to  advance  with  a  large  prosperity.  While  the  church 
in  St.  Petersburg,  founded  in  1875,  has  not  grown  to  any  very 
great  degree,  yet  in  the  Baltic  provinces  and  in  the  south  of 
Russia  the  work  has  gone  on,  even  amid  famine  and  persecu¬ 
tion,  and  in  1894  there  were  reported  in  connection  with  the 
Baptist  churches  in  Russia  90  preachers,  67  churches,  17,041 
members,  of  whom  1,067  were  baptized  in  1893,  and  out  of  their 
poverty  they  contributed  $17,690.20,  or  about  one  dollar  each 
for  the  support  of  the  Gospel.  All  the  outside  aid  which  the 
Russian  Baptists  receive  comes  from  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union,  which  appropriates  less  than  $3,000. .  This 
money,  however,  goes  very  far  to  assist  them  in  carrying  on 
their  work  amid  their  great  trials  and  persecutions. 


JOHN  HUSS  OF  BOHEMIA, 

A  Martyr  /or  the  Cospel'be/ore  the  Reformation, 


ROMAN  CATHOLIC  SHRINE  IN  BOHEMIA, 


